AFRL - Munitions Research Opportunities

AFRL/RW Munitions Directorate

Research Facilities and Programs:

The Munitions Directorate develops, integrates, and transitions science and technology for armament as is needed for assuring superiority over a spectrum of threats and to assure pre-eminence of US Air and Space Forces. To achieve these goals, the Directorate combines a talented, highly educated and experienced workforce along with unique experimental facilities to provide a first-class research center for national defense. To integrate the technologies needed for munition systems, two divisions pursue basic and applied research activities: the Weapon Engagement Division and the Ordnance Division.

Scientists and engineers within the two divisions conduct basic, exploratory, and advanced development studies that lead to improved performance of air-delivered munition systems. Research opportunities exist in the ordnance area in such subjects as solid mechanics, materials science, high-pressure physics, and reactive flow theory. Research in the weapon engagement area includes nonlinear control, neural networks, nonlinear estimation, and numerical optimization; autonomous vehicle guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) denied environments, cooperative GNC; the characterization of the fundamental physics dictating the overall vehicle controllability, agility, lethality, and survivability; and the formulation and solution of linear and nonlinear governing equations describing impact, shock propagation, and penetration mechanics. In addition, fundamental research is being done on the interaction of polarized light with materials through design of carefully executed laboratory and field experiments at many wavelengths.

In support of the research mission, experimental facilities available at the Directorate contain state-of-the-art equipment, much of which consists of unique, one-of-a-kind systems, which are enhanced by computer-aided testing systems. Our computer technology consists of modern workstations and networking with high-speed computers within the Air Force. Interaction with the professional community is strongly encouraged and practiced by the workforce. Excellent library facilities, as well as the University of Florida Research and Engineering Education Facility located adjacent to Eglin, are readily accessible.

Eglin is situated in northwest Florida near Fort Walton Beach. It is within one-hour’s driving time of Pensacola or Panama City, and within one-hour’s flight of Atlanta. This area has been consistently ranked over the last few years by a leading periodical as one of the best places to live in America.